Femicide – the gender-based killing of women – represents the most extreme form of gender-based violence. Yet in the Nordic-Baltic region, public discourse and prevention efforts largely focus on partner-related killings. This narrow lens obscures femicides occurring outside heteronormative relations, where LGBTIQ+ women, trans women and sex workers face heightened risks. In Denmark, 30% of femicides take place outside intimate relations, but these cases remain poorly understood and under-analysed.

Without harmonised data or intersectional perspectives, systemic patterns of exclusion, hate crime motives and institutional gaps in protection remain invisible. Drawing on the Center for Violence Prevention’s experience with 25 years of femicide monitoring, this project addresses knowledge gaps by examining how sexual orientation, gender identity and social marginalisation shape vulnerability, access to justice and protection.

The MAINTAID-ED project expands Nordic collaborative teaching through systematic co-creation. Building on successful Finnish-Norwegian-Swedish partnership that engaged students and educators in developing four teaching modules, the project now integrates Denmark and Iceland through focus group interviews with social work and nursing faculty and students. The sustainability framework employs Diffusion of Innovations theory to systematically spread educational practices across Nordic universities.

The dissemination encompasses national and Nordic pedagogical seminars and webinars targeting higher education teachers and curriculum developers. Train-the-trainer workshops enable educators to adapt content for local contexts. Long-term maintenance structures include systematic content update mechanisms integrating emerging research and policy developments, sustained open-access hosting, and partnerships with Nordic university networks.

The Nordic HIV Preparedness Project addresses the growing need to protect HIV and LGBTIQ+ communities in an era marked by geopolitical instability, hybrid threats, and increasing discrimination. Although HIV is a manageable condition with proper treatment, access to medication and healthcare is vulnerable during crises. HIV medicines are not currently included in national preparedness plans across the Nordic region.

By bringing together HIV and LGBTIQ+ organizations from all Nordic countries, the project aims to develop shared strategies to ensure continuity of care, strengthen resilience, and safeguard human rights. Through digital meetings and a Nordic conference, partners will identify risks, exchange experiences, and aim to co-create a Nordic HIV Preparedness Framework. The project aims to enhance cross-border cooperation, increase individual and organizational preparedness, and provide concrete recommendations for integrating HIV-specific needs into national emergency planning.

An international backlash is taking place against LGBTI rights, with increased stigmatization and a scaling back of civil liberties in the US and Europe. The Nordic region, has seen a rise in hate and intolerance as reported by national queer organisations. Similar attacks on the rights of queer people are taking place online. The project intends to track whether online platforms are pushing hate-driven indoctrination to users.

A 2024 study by Dublin City University found that brand new YouTube and TikTok accounts, registered as belonging to teenage boys, were exposed to anti-feminist content within 23 minutes. Within hours, over 75% of their feeds were filled with hate-driven narratives. Thus, social media algorithms risk radicalizing young men by feeding them hateful content at an alarming rate.

Project partners aim to replicate this experiment — this time focusing on anti-LGBTI content. Using new social media accounts with controlled search patterns, we will track whether or not platforms are pushing hate-driven indoctrination to users – and if they are, how fast and how aggressively homophobic and/or transphobic content is being recommended.

While Nordic countries are generally at the forefront of legislation and welfare to improve LGBTI rights, school environments are witnessing regression and a rise of hate speech and violence.

Vulnerable LGBTI children and young people, particularly where living in small rural communities where specialist care is generally unavailable, are disproportionately impacted by greater homogeneity and intersectional issues.

This Nordic collaboration will contribute to the greater success of LGBTI students by giving teachers and school staff access to education to combat student prejudice, exclusion, and marginalisation.

It provides an information forum to increase knowledge, attend courses, gain counselling, share news, and access material from a database of videos, electronic courses, podcasts, discussions on closed websites and advice. It enables connection with other school professionals in Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Sweden, and the resulting online toolkit will be a lasting legacy.

There is little documented knowledge about the living conditions of older LGBTI people in the Nordic countries. Older LGBTI people who are actively engaged in the LGBTI movement are also underrepresented. Knowledge of the needs of older LGBTI people is often non-existent among health and social care staff. Despite common challenges, there is little co-operation between the Nordic countries on LGBTI and ageing.

Through a physical conference, wegathered experts, professionals and representatives from the target group from all Nordic countries and the autonomous regions. The conference resulted in a network where LGBTI organisations and other relevant actors can exchange knowledge and experiences of bringing together older LGBTI people, collaborate and support each other in working towards the inclusion of the LGBTI perspective in political processes relevant specifically to older people. It will also provide an opportunity for the organisations to jointly speak out as a Nordic network on related issues and processes in society at Nordic, EU and UN level.